AOC Two

     A ND  Jesus answered and said unto her,  Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things :  42  But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her .  (Luke 10:41-42)               What was this ONE THING that is NEEDFUL? Our Lord was speaking to Martha who was envious of her sister, Mary. Why? It is because Martha was doing all the work in preparing the meal for the guests while Mary sat at the feet of Jesus to hear Him. At the heart of the issue is the matter of triage of the spirit. The most egregious disease of the soul is sin, but the only wholesome cure for that disease is faith in God and His Word. Mary was enraptured at the teaching of Jesus, and hearing those powerful words of our Lord was far more important than providing sustenance for the physical body.  Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word...

  A ND  Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we be brethren. *  9  Is not the whole land before thee? separate thyself, I pray thee, from me: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left.  10  And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar.  11  Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other.  12  Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom.    (Genesis 13:8-12)                Th...

E VEN  by the God of thy father, who shall help thee; and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb:  26  The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills:   (Genesis 49:25-26)   Have you ever witnessed a truly thankful person who was filled with hate? I thought not. We cannot be thankful and hateful at the same time. This hymn was written by Johnson Oatman in 1897 to convince the young to be mindful of the need to be thankful for all things. Oatman wrote more than 5,000 hymns during his lifetime including   Higher Ground , and  No Not One ., The tune is BLESSINGS by Edwin O. Excell in 1901.  Count Your Blessings   When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed, When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost, Count your many blessings, name them ...

Happy Quinquagesima Sunday, three more days until Ash Wednesday and the start of Lent.  Before you get your ashes and wander around, read Bishop Jerry's guidance contained in the report. The AOC Sunday Report is can be downloaded  RIGHT HERE . We have super sermons today from Bishops Jerry and Roy, as well as Revs Jack and Bryan. There is also a very lovely write up on Bishop Jim Flanagan that I draw your attention to.    Rev Jack brings the Propers together today.    His sermon can be viewed on video here ->  https://youtu.be/YuCQ2n5Jmgc Today’s Collect today’s college recognizes that nothing we do without charity in our hearts is of any real value. It goes on the ask that God have the Holy Ghost pour in our hearts that gift of charity. In his Epistle to the people of Cornith, Paul remins us without charity we are nothing. We can do no good without charity.  In his Gospel, Luke relates Jesus coming up into Jerusalem and telling his discip...

   Rev Jack brings the Propers together today.    His sermon is below the propers and can be viewed on video here ->  https://youtu.be/YuCQ2n5Jmgc Today’s Collect today’s college recognizes that nothing we do without charity in our hearts is of any real value. It goes on the ask that God have the Holy Ghost pour in our hearts that gift of charity. In his Epistle to th people of Cornith, Paul remins us without charity we are nothing. We can do no good without charity.  In his Gospel, Luke relates Jesus coming up into Jerusalem and telling his disciples what would occur and them having no idea of what He spoke. It also relates a story of a blind man who Jesus healed. There is much more to this story than meets the eye.  Great stuff and it all comes together, listen or read to understand how.  The Propers for today are found on Page 122-124, with the Collect first:   The Sunday called Quinquagesima, or the Sunday next before before ...

   The Sunday called Quinquagesima, or the Sunday next before before Lent. The Collect.   O  LORD  who hast taught us that all our doings without charity are nothing worth; Send thy Holy Ghost, and pour into our hearts that most excellent gift of charity, the very bond of peace and of all virtues, without which whosoever liveth is counted dead before thee. Grant this for thine only Son Jesus Christ ’ s sake.  Amen.     B EWARE  of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.  16  Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?  (Matt 7:15-16)   I  AM  the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.  2  Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.  3  Now ye are clean through the word which I have...